It’s hard to argue that Avast is a good antivirus. It copes well with most threats, protects your computer from hacker attacks, and monitors security while surfing websites. In addition, this is a free program, and this provides it with considerable popularity.
Nevertheless, despite such a large number of advantages, this anti-virus is not ideal and has several significant flaws. One of them is that sometimes Avast is not removed, causing certain problems. How to fix this - read below.
The essence of the problem
The fact that Avast is not removed from the computer can lead to the following negative consequences:
- Some antivirus processes freeze in memory, causing a drop in performance. At the same time, the program will not perform its main function, which is protection against viruses.
- A bunch of unnecessary entries will remain in the registry. Not only will they slow down the operating system, they will also make it impossible to install some antiviruses. They will assume that Avast is already running on your computer, and will refuse to complete the installation in order to avoid conflicts with the software.
- In addition, files that take up space will remain on the hard drive. Not so much, but it's better to use it for more useful purposes.
All of the above problems can occur both individually and simultaneously. In any case, you need to try to fix them as quickly as possible.
Training
It is necessary to conduct a little preparation before removing Avast. A complete removal of this antivirus is possible only if you do the following:
- Open the Avast main menu, and then go to settings (gear icon).
- Go to the Troubleshooting section.
- Find the “Enable Self-Defense Module” option and uncheck it.
- Click “OK” and confirm the changes.
The fact is that Avast has a protective mechanism that prevents its unauthorized removal. If it is not disabled, the antivirus will consider that malware is interfering with its work and, accordingly, will try to secure its files.
Having finished the preparation, you can proceed with the removal of Avast. This can be done by several methods, the most relevant of which will be discussed later.
Standard Windows Tools
The first, but not the easiest way to completely remove Avast from your computer is to use the standard Windows functionality. For this:
- Open File Explorer, and then click Uninstall or Change a Program.
- Find Avast in the list of programs, click on it with the mouse and select "Uninstall".
- The installation window of the program will open. In it, you must click "Delete", confirm your actions, and then agree to restart the computer.
Now that the antivirus has been removed, you need to make sure that there are no registry entries left from it. This is done like this:
- Press the key combination Win + R and enter the command “regedit” in the appeared line.
- Next, start the search by pressing Ctrl + F. In the window that opens, write "Avast" and click "Find"
- Delete all entries associated with Avast from the registry, if any.
Having completed all this, do not forget to restart the computer. If everything is done correctly, the antivirus will be completely removed.
Developer Utility
The antivirus development team has released a special utility that can help if Avast is not removed. The program is called Avast Clear, and you can download it by going to the official Avast website and going to the Support section. After the utility is installed, do the following:
- Launch Avast Clear. The program will prompt you to continue working in safe mode. Confirm this operation and wait until the computer restarts.
- Next, run the program again and indicate in its main menu the path to the antivirus files (if you did not install it in the folder that was proposed by default).
- The utility will delete all Avast files, after which another computer reboot will occur.
It is worth saying that even the official program from the anti-virus developers does not always work correctly. If you used it, it is worthwhile to search for files left after uninstalling Avast.
Revo uninstaller
Revo Uninstaller is a powerful and proven utility for uninstalling any application. If Avast is not uninstalled, you can use this program to solve this problem. It is done like this:
- Download, install, and then run Revo Uninstaller.
- A list of all the programs installed on your computer will open. Find Avast among them, click on it with the mouse, and then click "Delete" (the button is located at the top).
- The standard procedure for uninstalling the antivirus will begin. When it ends, do not agree to restart the computer.
- Return to the Revo Uninstaller menu, where you will be prompted to search for “junk” files. Confirm this procedure by selecting Advanced mode.
- After the scan is completed, the program will show you a list of all files and entries in the registry remaining after uninstalling Avast. Mark them, click "Next", and then confirm the deletion.
Now all you have to do is restart your computer. In most cases, this is enough to completely get rid of Avast.
Ccleaner
CCleaner has a complete set of tools for cleaning and optimizing the operating system. In it, among other functions, there is a built-in uninstaller that will help you if Avast is not removed. For this:
- Launch CCleaner.
- In the working panel on the left, select the "Service" section, and then "Uninstall programs."
- Find “Avast” in the list, select it and click “Delete”. Wait for the end of the procedure, having previously agreed to it.
- Reboot the computer.
- Now open CCleaner again and go to the "Registry" section.
- Select "Search for problems", and then, when problems are found, click "Fix."
After waiting for the operation to finish, restart the PC. The antivirus has been successfully removed and will no longer make itself felt.
Advice
No one knows exactly why Avast is not completely removed. Perhaps this is a flaw on the part of the creators of the antivirus, or maybe the particular problems of any particular operating system. Moreover, even if Avast seemed to be removed, it is recommended that certain preventive measures be taken:
- Regardless of which of the methods proposed in the article you used, after uninstalling the antivirus you need to check the registry for residual entries. It’s best to do it manually, but you can use CCleaner functionality.
- It is also important to search for files that Avast left behind. For these purposes, the "Search" function built into Windows will do.
In addition, by removing Avast, do not forget to install another antivirus instead. This will help you always keep your system safe.